Sheriff Tiraspol are the biggest underdogs in this Champions League. Coach Yuri Vernydub talks about the trip to Real Madrid.
First game in the Champions League – and straight away a 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, which means FC Sheriff Tiraspol travel to Real Madrid as leaders of the table. The Champions League newcomer from the Republic of Moldova, which is plagued by corruption and poverty, is no ordinary club: It belongs to the Sheriff Group, which dominates the economy and politics in the Transnistrian region, from petrol stations and mobile phone networks to bread factories and a TV station. FC Sheriff is coached by the Ukrainian Yuri Vernydub (55), who was once a professional in Germany.
Mr Vernydub, have you ever been to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu?
Two years ago, at that time as a spectator. Friends had organised for me to watch Valencia and Levante train for a few days. Because Levante then played Real, I was also allowed to watch the game. At that time I said: It’s my dream to be a coach here one day. And now it’s coming true.
Quite miraculous was the qualification for the group phase as the first team from Moldova. And then there was also a win at the start against Donetsk.
The last few months have been like a fairytale. And this fairy tale should continue, although we all know that with Real and Inter, tough tasks await us. Against a world club like Real with world stars like Modric, Benzema or Kroos, we will need 200 percent. And yet we will prepare as we would for any other opponent.
“The last few months have been like a fairytale. And this fairytale shall continue. “
JURIJ VERNYDUB
Could some of your players have too much reverence?
I keep telling my guys: We are already in the Champions League, you have nothing to lose, you can present yourselves on the biggest stage. But you can only enjoy something like this if you are perfectly prepared.
The bosses at Sheriff normally take every defeat almost personally, then it also quickly becomes tight for the coach. Does this pressure now also apply to the game at Real?
No, that’s the requirement for our league, where we try to exude a winning mentality. But you can’t do that by announcing, you have to develop that every day as a coach.
You have players from 20 nations in your team, most of them have only been with the club since this year.
That makes things very difficult. Not so much because of the language, but because there are so many different mentalities in the team. We couldn’t get expensive players, of course, but mostly young talents or those who didn’t t get along at their previous clubs. All of them are hungry to show themselves and make the most of this opportunity.
Directly after their play-off success, one of your best strikers, Henrique Luvannor, moved to Saudi Arabia.
He scored four goals in seven qualifiers, we are grateful to him for that. But we understand he wanted to leave. He’s 31, and the financial offer was just too interesting, we can’t compete with that.
“I would also like to use more Moldovans, but they are honestly not good enough. “
JURIJ VERNYDUB
But you hardly have any players from Moldova in the team. Can it only work with foreigners?
Unfortunately, yes. When I worked in Ukraine, I could never understand why Mircea Lucescu used so few local players at Donetsk. Now I know why: if you have high goals, nationality doesn’t matter. However, I was only allowed to enter 17 foreign players for the Champions League, so it was difficult to choose. I would also like to use more Moldovans, but they are honestly not good enough.
Sheriff won 19 of the last 21 titles in Moldova. Is it difficult now to switch between the championship and the Champions League?
The league here is not that bad, we have also lost some points this season. I don’t like it at all when I m seeing that some of my people approach the games with a different attitude than the international games.
“I don’t like it at all when I see some of my people approaching the games with a different attitude than the international games. “
JURIJ VERNYDUB
You played for Chemnitzer FC in 1993/94. What do you remember from that time?
Unfortunately, yes. When I worked in Ukraine, I could never understand why Mircea Lucescu used so few local players at Donetsk. Now I know why: when you have high goals, nationality doesn’t matter. However, I was only allowed to enter 17 foreign players for the Champions League, so it was difficult to choose. I would also like to use more Moldovans, but they are honestly not good enough.
Sheriff won 19 of the last 21 titles in Moldova. Is it difficult now to switch between the championship and the Champions League?
The league here isn’t that bad, we’ve dropped a few points this season as well. I don’t like it at all when I see some of my people approach the games with a different attitude than the international games.
I don’t like it at all when I see some of my people approaching the games with a different attitude than the international games.
JURIJ VERNYDUB
You played for Chemnitzer FC in 1993/94. What do you remember from that time?
Yes, I played a few games in the 2nd division back then. Chemnitz was still a typical East German city at that time. My wife and I travelled around a lot, in Germany and also in the Czech Republic. That was a great time. But when I got an offer from Ukraine, I went there. Home is home.
